WBB Returns to Home Action Thursday vs. PFW

GAME #4: Women's Basketball vs. Purdue Fort Wayne
Date	Thursday, Nov. 21 \| 6:30 p.m.
Venue	George Gervin GameAbove Center (8,754)
Preview Info	EMU Notes (pdf)
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	ESPN+
Listen	WEMU (89.1 FM)
Twitter	@EMUWBB \| @EMUAthletics
Fan Information	Purchase Tickets

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- Following a 10-day break from action, the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team returns to the court Thursday, Nov. 21, when it plays host to the Mastodons of Purdue University Fort Wayne inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center in Ypsilanti. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Ryan Wooley and Reggie Butler on the call. Live stats will be available at EMUEagles.com/livestats while periodic updates will be posted on the team's official X account (@EMUWBB).

FREE THROWS
» For the second game in a row, the Eagles will face a team that is receiving votes in a national poll as PFW is currently among the 'Receiving Votes' teams in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25. Michigan State (Nov. 11) was receiving votes in the Associated Press and the USA Today/WBCA Coaches polls.
» Eastern Michigan added four high school seniors during last week's NCAA Early Signing Period for basketball, including Adrena Gordon, Peyton Hill, Believe Tshibangu, and second-generation EMU basketball player Alli Zajac (dad Jon Zajac and mom Kristy Maska played at EMU).
» After nearly recording a double-double in her first game with EMU (28 points, 9 rebounds), Sisi Eleko has done so in the past two outings with games of 17 & 16 against Alabama A&M and 25 & 12 at Michigan State. She currently leads the MAC in rebounds (12.3) and is second in scoring (23.3).
» Sisi Eleko (23.3/12.3) is one of only three MAC players averaging a double-double currently with Shelbee Brown of Akron (12.0/10.5) and Taya Ellis of Bowling Green (10.3/10.5) making the list.
» Olivia Westphal has continued her hot start to the season as she has hit 12 three-pointers for a MAC-leading and sixth-best in the NCAA total of 4.0 per game. She made 23 total in 29 games last year.
» Olivia Westphal picked up the first weekly honor for the team this year as she was named the MAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Week, Nov. 14, following her strong play at Michigan State (Nov. 11). Westphal is currently working toward her Master's degree in Cybersecurity.
» Sahar Nusseibeh, the ninth head coach in Eastern program history, spent the previous three seasons leading the Canisius program. She is the first sitting head coach to be hired as EMU's head coach since 1998 when Suzy Merchant came from Saginaw Valley.

SIGNED ON THE DOTTED LINE
The early signing period for NCAA basketball was held last week with the Eagles signing four players that will continue their academic and athletic careers at Eastern. The four players, all of whom will join the program this summer to prepare for the 2025-26 season, mark the first full signing class for Sahar Nusseibeh and her staff at Eastern. The class includes Adrena Gordon (5-11, G) from Akron, Ohio (Example Academy); Peyton Hill (5-10, G) from St. Louis, Mo. (Incarnate Word Academy); Believe Tshibangu (6-0, F) from Courtice, Ontario (Royal Crown School); and Alli Zajac (6-2, F) from Tecumseh, Mich. (Tecumseh), who is a second generation Eagle after both of her parents played basketball at Eastern, including her dad, Jon Zajac, and her mom, the former Kristy Maska, who ranks No. 18 in scoring at EMU.

KNOW THE FOE: PURDUE FORT WAYNE
The Mastodons enter their game at Eastern with a 2-2 record following a close 79-67 loss at No. 15 Kentucky, Nov. 18. Receiving votes in the most recent College Insider Mid-Major Top 25, PFW has also played Purdue (L, 77-87) with wins over Valparaiso (72-56) and Defiance (104-31) sandwiched between its two setbacks. Lauren Ross leads the way for the Mastodons with 16.3 points per game while four others are each averaging 8.5+ per game. On the glass, Ross and Jazzlyn Linbo are tied for the team lead with 5.0 rebounds per contest.

ALL-TIME VS. PURDUE FORT WAYNE
The Eagles hold a 3-0 advantage in their series with the Mastodons with a 2-0 mark when playing host to the series in Ypsilanti. The last time the two teams met was the second game in a home-and-home series, Dec. 10, 2019, a 64-40 EMU win at home. Prior to that, Eastern took an 87-72 win at PFW, Dec. 8, 2018, after opening the series with a 76-60 win, Dec. 15, 2001, in a game played in Fenton, Mich.

ALL-TIME VS. THE HORIZON LEAGUE
Eastern is no stranger to the Horizon League as the game between EMU and PFW will be the 96th against current HL institutions with the Eagles holding a 55-40 advantage. The game also will mark the first in back-to-back games against the Horizon as the Eagles will travel to face Detroit Mercy, who EMU is 15-16 all-time, Nov. 26, in Detroit.

ELEKO PLAYING STRONG
Sisi Eleko is off to a strong start for the Eagles as she is averaging a double-double through three games played with 23.3 points and 12.3 rebounds per contest. Entering the season, Eleko had not scored more than 24 points in a game and has done so twice in three appearances for the Eagles, including 28 in the opener with Texas State and 25 at Michigan State, the most the Spartans had surrendered to an individual player this season. Eleko also has been efficient in her shooting as she is hitting at a .600 clip (24-of-40) from the floor this year.

TRENDING UPWARD
Although just three games into the season, Sisi Eleko is already on pace to do something that hasn't happened in nearly 15 years: have an Eagle average 20.0 points for a season. EMU Hall of Famer and Ring of Honor inductee Tavelyn James was the last to do so when she ended the 2009-10 season averaging 20.7 points per game.

DOUBLE-DOUBLES FOR SISI
After missing a double-double in her first game with the Eagles by one rebound (28 points, 9 rebounds), Sisi Eleko posted double-doubles in the most recent two games. She started with a 17-point, 16-rebound showing against Alabama A&M, Nov. 9, before posting 25 points and 12 rebounds at Michigan State, Nov. 11. Her two double-doubles are tied for the most in the MAC and rank tied for 13th nationally among NCAA Division I players.

AMONG THE BEST IN THE MAC
Through games played Nov. 17, Sisi Eleko finds herself among the best in the MAC statistically as she is averaging 23.3 points (second) and 12.3 rebounds (third). As it stands, Eleko is one of only three players in the MAC currently averaging a double-double as she is joined by Akron's Shelbee Brown (12.0p/10.5r) and Bowling Green's Taya Ellis (10.3p/10.5r). Additionally, she is the only player in the MAC that is averaging over 12.0 in both categories this year.

WESTPHAL, THE ATHLETE
Olivia Westphal entered the season with 29 career made three-pointers, including six as a freshman with Duquesne (2022-23) and 23 last year (2023-24). Just three games into the season, Westphal is nearly halfway to her 2023-24 total as she has drained 12 triples for a MAC-leading 4.0 three-pointers per game. As it stands, she is currently on a streak of four consecutive games (including the 2023-24 finale at home against Bowling Green, March 9, 2024) in which she has connected on at least three made triples. The streak marks the only time she has made three or more triples in back-to-back games in her career and is one game shy of tying her streak of five consecutive games with at least one made three after doing so last year from Jan. 20 through Feb. 3. During those five games, she made eight total threes.

WESTPHAL, THE SCHOLAR
The 4.0 three-point baskets per game is not the only 4.0 Olivia Westphal has produced as she currently sports a 4.0 GPA while working on a graduate degree in Cybersecurity. For her athletic and academic efforts, Westphal was selected as the MAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Week, Nov. 14, earning the accolade for the first time in her career.

BEEN A WHILE
The honor attained by Olivia Westphal was not only her first, but just the 11th earned by a member of the program since 2002 when Shani Charles earned the accolade (Jan. 28, 2002). In fact, the Eagles have only earned the weekly accolade twice in recent years with Ce'Nera Skanes being honored Jan. 4, 2023. Prior to Skanes, Phillis Webb was the last to earn the honor, which came Dec. 16, 2015.

TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADERS!
Along with Sisi Eleko holding the top spot in both double-doubles (two) and rebounds per game (12.3), two other Eagles currently lead the MAC in a statistical category. Olivia Westphal is tops in the league with her 4.0 made three-point baskets per game while Mackenzie Amalia is tied for the top spot with 7.3 assists dished per contest. As a team, the Eagles lead the MAC in three-point defense as opponents are hitting at just 19.2 percent on the year.

NATIONAL LISTS
Through games played Nov. 18, two Eagles currently rank among the top 20 nationally for single-game production:

Mackenzie Amalia recorded 12 assists in her EMU debut game against Texas State, Nov. 4, which was the most in a single game on opening night. Through games played Nov. 18, she is currently tied for second nationally with Emily Ryan of Iowa State holding the single-game lead with 13.

Sisi Eleko recorded 16 rebounds against Alabama A&M, Nov. 9, for a total that ties for 20th in single-game rebounds this season.

FIRST TIME
Four players have made their EMU debuts this season with freshman Olivia DiFranco the latest to join the list after playing the final minute of the Alabama A&M game. Against Texas State, Mackenzie Amalia, Brooklyn Thrash, and Sisi Eleko each earned a place in the starting lineup after transferring in from Canisius. Additionally, Elena Cabello entered the game against Texas State, which marked her first game action since March 8, 2023, against Bowling Green in the MAC Tournament after sitting out all last season with an injury.

MITTEN MEETINGS
The Eagles are 172-165 all-time against teams from the Mitten State following their loss at Michigan State, Nov. 11. Eastern will have four more games to play this season against Michigan schools, starting Nov. 26 with a road trip to Detroit Mercy. The final three games come in MAC play when the Eagles face Western Michigan once (home, Jan. 1) and Central Michigan twice (away, Jan. 18, and home, Feb. 19).

ON THE HORIZON
The second of back-to-back games against members of the Horizon League is next up for the Eagles as Eastern Michigan will venture to Calihan Hall in Detroit, to take on the Titans of the University of Detroit Mercy, Nov. 26. The game is set for a 7 p.m. tip and will be streamed live on ESPN+. Fans can listen locally on WEMU (89.1 FM) and through The Varsity Network app with Tom Helmer calling the action from courtside.

FOLLOW US
Stay connected with the Eagles all season long by following @EMUWBB and @EMUAthletics on X for all the latest EMU women's basketball updates. Be sure to also follow the team on Instagram (@EMUWBB).

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Players Mentioned

Mackenzie Amalia

Elena Cabello

Olivia DiFranco

Sisi Eleko

Brooklyn Thrash

Olivia Westphal

Eastern Michigan Athletics